Maritime Law Applies to Wrongful Death Claims, Wash. Federal Judge Rules

SEATTLE — Maritime law applies to claims in a wrongful death action because the evidence establishes that the decedent was exposed to dust on ships that were allegedly equipped with asbestos-containing products, a Washington federal judge has ruled.

In an Aug. 6 order, Judge Benjamin H. Settle of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington directed the parties to fully brief the issue of whether maritime law applies to all issues in the case, thereby nullifying the court’s previous dismissal orders on statute of limitations grounds.

Plaintiff seeks asbestos-related wrongful death damages on behalf of the …